Thanks for the reminder! This was exactly what I did at the winter national, hiding behind bushes. He introduced himself to a couple of coaches. At Kalamazoo, I did say hi to one coach because we already met at his campus showdown.
Getting a college tennis scholarship: 5 tips.
- Thread starter lendl1986
- Start date
Thanks for the reminder! This was exactly what I did at the winter national, hiding behind bushes. He introduced himself to a couple of coaches. At Kalamazoo, I did say hi to one coach because we already met at his campus showdown.
tennisconsultcom
Rookie
If your kid is interested in Ivy University; he/she can play tennis 8 hours a week (it is absolutely enough) and increase quality of school time. My kid did this; he received SAT 2270 and 800 on subject. He will go to top 10, and he is pretty good in tennis.
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I spoke to a former Ivy coach a few months ago, who requested 16 hrs of tennis practice on and off court, 6 days a week. A few top line players might spend several more hrs on individuals with coaches or additional match play with team mates (voluntarily). My son wants to make the varsity team and continue to improve his tennis in college. He has been preparing for college life, taking hard courses and spending 3-4 hrs daily on tennis training (including 1-2 hrs in my car).
You must mean 8 hrs training in high school. Did he already get an offer from an Ivy? Congratulations!
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tennisconsultcom
Rookie
When I write about 8 hours a week, I mean 8 hours a week on the tennis court and fitness with a good coach, plus tournaments, total is about 10-12 hours a week. But quality have to be over quantity. If a kid has talent and a good coach it is more than enough for good college level.
The fact is that many coaches follow a simple rule "practice, man, practice". It is the easiest way to prepare middle level players, but it never works for elite players.
Yes, he already received offers from top 10.
The fact is that many coaches follow a simple rule "practice, man, practice". It is the easiest way to prepare middle level players, but it never works for elite players.
Yes, he already received offers from top 10.
jigglypuff
Rookie
I'm always interested in finding out what's required... Is he a five star or a four star player? How many APs did he take from 10th - 12th grade? GPA range? Private, public, or home school? Any other extracurricular activities other than tennis?
Agree that quality is more important than quantity. 2-4 hrs a week in tournament must have been calculated from (the total hrs spent on tournaments in a year)/52 weeks, right?
Sounds smart, good fit would be Hopkins and MIT.
( Those graduates are also getting all the job offers now
)Sounds smart, good fit would be Hopkins and MIT.
( Those graduates are also getting all the job offers now
I was thinking like you. But the kid has already received an offer from one of the following Ivy schools (top 10): Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, or Penn.
tennisconsultcom
Rookie
GPA 4,2; three AP. Of course public school. Physics, engineering clubs; the best tennis school team.
Congratulations again! May I ask - is your son recruited, namely, admitted with the help of tennis coach?
jigglypuff
Rookie
Thanks for the insight. I'm assuming he's a 4 star recruit?
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lnnguyen01
Guest
Congrats! My daughter is sophomore with 4.5 GPA; will have ~9 APs by the time she's done with public school. Lots of extracurricular, student senate, etc. Unlikely to get into Ivy League caliber school though--very competitive unless you stand out in some other way--especially if you are Asian (not saying that Ivy League are only good colleges). She's only 1* so tennis won't help her. Congrats again!
Misterbill
Semi-Pro
If any youngsters are reading this thread, don't be dissuaded from pursuing an Ivy school that you think would be a good fit for you if you have a 4.0 GPA (don't know how you get 4.5 as a soph unless the school allows lots of APs for freshmen/sophs) and about 9 APs eventually. There's a lot more that admissions officers consider, of course, but these credentials at least will get you smack dab in the center of the mix.
From what I can find, he is a 2 star and likely goes to MIT (yes, it's a top 10). Will have a chance to play for Engineers because of his SoCal root.
Misterbill
Semi-Pro
I think it would be useful for youngsters to know how a "SoCal root" can give them a chance to play tennis at MIT
Congratulations for your daughter's accomplishment! I heard recently that Harvard admitted a boy (Chinese American) who plays 2nd or 3rd doubles for his high school team. I heard that he did some cancer research that must be considered exceptional achievement for a high school kid. For your daughter, many years of tennis training and competition should make her resume even more impressive. Good luck!
Just a guess - a 2 star from a strong section like SoCal or FL may be better trained than a 2 star with comparable ranking, but from a weak section, like Northern. MIT is not one of the strongest D3 programs. A good two star player would have a good chance of starting.
Misterbill
Semi-Pro
I dunno what Dallas would say about that. I think most coaches, including D3, will put the players out there who provide the best chance to win, regardless of their home address. Wonder if others have opinions about this
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lnnguyen01
Guest
Yes, all A's in APs and never less than A+ in non-APs. Not trying to dissuade anyone. Just reality that it's a crapshoot for these colleges as there are many more qualified applicants than admitting slots. Doesn't mean that one should not shoot for them but also doesn't mean one is a failure or will not get a great education at other schools.
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lnnguyen01
Guest
Congratulations for your daughter's accomplishment! I heard recently that Harvard admitted a boy (Chinese American) who plays 2nd or 3rd doubles for his high school team. I heard that he did some cancer research that must be considered exceptional achievement for a high school kid. For your daughter, many years of tennis training and competition should make her resume even more impressive. Good luck!
Thanks, she's very bright and works very hard! She's shooting for high caliber schools which is a crapshoot but I'm sure will do fine whereever she ends up. I try to remind her it's not where you go but how well you do where you go that matters. Difficult to see that when you are 15 y.o. though!
Misterbill
Semi-Pro
I agree with that. It is also a crap shoot at lots of other schools. By my unofficial count (anyone out there please verify for yourself) there are about 30 colleges with admissions rates of 30% or less.
I still think if your daughter believes a particular Ivy might be a good fit, she should go for it. I hope you are not believing some posts that say you need 2400/36 and 4.0 GPA and the National Medal of Honor to get into an Ivy.
I also think that looking at each Ivy school (and others) individually is a whole lot more productive than the approach of trying to "get into an Ivy". Columbia has as much in common with Dartmouth as Princeton does with Cornell..........i.e. very little except they are Ivies.
When I hear kids or parents talking about "getting into an Ivy" I get the impression that they are more interested in credentialism and prestige than finding a unique institution that may be able to challenge them like no other. My impression is that you are doing the latter
Coach will play the best players available for sure
jigglypuff
Rookie
There are 2 stars a plenty in Socal, not to mention a multitude of 3 stars. A 2 star anywhere would be hard pressed to use that as significant weight in admissions. I have a feeling that 4 stars is the bare minimum to generate enough pull (academics aside) for entrance into a top Ivy League institution, MIT, or something similar.
tennisconsultcom
Rookie
He is 2 star. He does not play a lot of tournaments and concentrate on school. During high school matches he beats some 3 and 4 stars players. He trains with pretty strong players, and his level is good. He plays much better in high school competition than in individual tournaments.
tennisconsultcom
Rookie
Remember how did Brazil players play in the second and third days? They looked much more energetic. They fought like real warriors. Americans just played. May be after the first day and two wins, Americans decided that they already won.
May be they like sweets. I don't think that these players have a chance to reach semifinals. All of them are good, but they are not stars.
A 2 star player will not be recruited to Ivy. But a 2 or 3 star with outstanding academic credential may still be admitted as a walk on to help meet school's Academic Index requirement. You can easily find a few 2 or 3 star players from team websites who rarely play any matches.
However, a good 2 or 3 star may be recruited to a mid-level D3 team, like MIT, which is ranked #8 in Northeast Region. A 4 star can play top 3 singles for Engineers. Coach may let a 2 star with good doubles skills to play doubles. In D3, a win in doubles counts as much as a win in singles. In a top 10 nationally ranked D3 team like Johns Hopkins (#7), a 4 star may be sitting on the bench.
tennisconsultcom
Rookie
I have written a lot about an active rest and periodization. Active rest is a vital part of a training process. Serious players and coaches know that. Overtraining is a huge problem for good and talented junior players.
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Totally agreed.Too many juniors are overtrained on court at a young age & burn out mentally & physically. The coach has to look after this, Making sure they have periods or blocks of rest after 2, 3 tournaments.
Active rest where they shoot baskets, swim & then build a base with a physical training block. Athletic & mental change breeds champions not just mindless
court bashing.
You can still get in as a 2 star and play for MIT.
But, to get into MIT as a tennis player, you have to be JUST AS GOOD as the other students attending the school.
There is no lowering the bar at all at MIT.
The tennis will give you a small edge, when they compare student A with the same ( pretty much perfect) stats as Student B,
but might give a lean towards the one with tennis.
Great school if you can get in....
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How many days should one rest after a tournament?
The problem with the summer tournaments is there is not much down time.
2 schools of thought. Some play a lot of tournaments. I don't do this with my 12 yr. old daughter as I don't agree with that approach. I force 2-3 weeks rest after a few tournaments so the goal is quality over quantity so we identify the national and sectional tournaments and then select "fill in" local tournaments and practice matches.
Every tournament she plays must serve a purpose. I have a list of items related to development of her game and every tournament must check multiple boxes and chasing points is not one of the items although by focusing on nat'l and sectional tournaments, the points take care of themselves (assuming she wins) since local tournaments are nothing more than practice matches since they garner few points vs. Nat'l and Sectional play.
3-4 years ago, my son played tournament almost every weekend. Our purpose was simply to improve his game by playing matches. He played over 200 USTA matches a year 2010-2011. He also played over 20 ladder matches against adults in our club. It's a lot cheaper to play tournament (especially if he gets to play on Sunday) than clinics. He plays about 20 tournaments a year now.
